..续本文上一页ened Buddha for the welfare of the world, for the happiness of the world.
有些人臆测，以为小乘是自私的，因为它告诉人们应该寻求自救。但是，一个自私的人怎么可能得到觉悟呢？两派皆承认有三种乘(Yanas)或三种菩提(Bodhis)，其中以菩萨的理想为最高。大乘创造了不少神秘的菩萨，而上座部则认为菩萨只是我们人类中之一员，他/她一生致力于完善自己，希望最终以成为佛陀，为世间带来快乐与福祉。
Three Types of Buddhahood
三种觉者(Three Types of Buddhahood)
There are three types of Buddhahood: the Samma Sambuddha who gains full Enlightenment by his own effort, the Pacceka Buddha who has lesser qualities than the Samma Sambuddha, and the Savaka Buddha who is an Arahant disciple. The attainment of Nibbana between the three types of Buddhahood is exactly the same. The only difference is that the Samma Sambuddha has many more qualities and capacities than the other two.
有三种觉者：(一)无上正等正觉或正等觉者(Samma Sambuddha)，即我们所称之佛陀，他们靠自力成就完满的觉悟；(二)缘觉觉者(Pacceka Buddha)，他们的品德比正等觉者少一些；(三)声闻觉者(Savaka Buddha)，他/她们皆是阿罗汉的弟子。此三种觉者所成就的涅槃(Nibbana)都是完全一样的，相异之点只不过是：正等觉者(佛陀)有很多品德和能力是其他二种觉者所无的。
Some people think that Voidness or Sunyata discussed by Nagarjuna is purely a Mahayana teaching. It is based on the idea of Anatta or non-self, on the Paticcasamuppada or the Dependent Origination, found in the original Theravada Pali texts. Once Ananda asked the Buddha, "People say the word Sunya. What is Sunya
" The Buddha replied, "Ananda, there is no self, nor anything pertaining to self in this world. Therefore, the world is empty." This idea was taken by Nagarjuna when he wrote his remarkable book, "Madhyamika Karika". Besides the idea of Sunyata is the concept of the store-consciousness in Mahayana Buddhism which has its seed in the Theravada texts. The Mahayanists have developed it into a deep psychology and philosophy.
Ven. Dr. W. Rahula
有些人以为龙树(Nagarjuna)所言的空(Voidness or Sunyata)纯粹是大乘所教的，其实空源于无我或缘起的道理，它们在上座部巴利文的经典中都可以找到。(例如在SN35.85 Sunna Sutta之中：)
一次，阿难问佛：「人们都在说空(Sunya)这个字，到底什么是空？」
佛答：「阿难！世间没有我，也没有属于我的任何东西，因此，世间是空的。」
此概念为龙树所用，写了他出色的中观论颂(Madhyamika Karika)。除了空的概念外，大乘也有藏识(第八识或阿赖耶)之说，而此说也是源自上座部之经文的，大乘只不过把它发展成为一套深奥的心理学和哲学而已。
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《上座部与大乘佛教 Theravada - Mahayana Buddhism》全文阅读结束。